Shunting apparatus for use on railways



July 15, 1930. F. VOHMANN 1,770,719

SHUflTING APPARATUS FOR USE ON RAILWAYS Filed Jan. 1929 Inventor y w, i'-

.dttorney.

Patented July 15, 1936 UNETEEZ FRITZ VOHIVEANN, F SAABBRUGKEN, GERMANY SHUNTING- APPARATUS FOR USE ON RAILWAYS Application filed. January 4, 1929, Serial No. 330,188, and in Germany July 16, 1927.

For controlling in shunting the movement of rolling stock or trains travelling down hill, cable shunting apparatus have been proposed having for their purpose to increase the capacity of the shunting yards, and to reduce the number of brakemen necessary in comparison with other methods hitherto employed to control by repeated brakingthe movement of rolling stock on the down grade.

Gable shunting apparatus with front and rear haulage cables are advantageous for use where two adjacent sets of rails may be employed if two coupling positions are provided respectively upon the adjacent sets of rails at the two ends of the front cable, the arrangement being such that the coupling member that serves one set of rails completes its operation at the moment when the other coupling member of the second set of rails is moved into the initial position.

According to the invention a narrow gauge track is laid between the rails and on the sleepers of the standard gauge and a carriage is provided to move upon the narrow gauge track and to be connected by a coupling member to the rolling stock to be coupled to the front cable. The carriage may consist of two parts adapted to run on the rails and connected together by cables, chains or the like,

so that curves in the track can be negotiated. The front cable is attached to one end of the carriage or to one part and the rear cable to its opposite end or to the other part.

The weight of the carriage, or its parts, is advantageously such that there is no tendency for the carriage or its parts to rise from the rails when towing the rolling stock or the like.

The coupling member for connecting the rolling stock to the weighted carriage may consist of a rigid member pivotally mounted in the weighted carriage, or it may consist of two cables or chains.

45 The apparatus according to the invention is illustrated by way of example, in the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

Figure 1 is an elevation of one form of the apparatus.

Figure 2 is a Figure 1.

plan view corresponding to Figure 3 is an elevation illustrating a modification in which the rigid coupling member is replaced by flexible elements.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, a is the rear part of the weighted carriage, and a is the front part thereof, the parts being connected together by the two non-rigid connecting members, 6 and b 0 and c are the rails of the narrow gauge track which lie between the rails and upon the sleepers of the standard gauge track. The parts of the carriage are of such weight that they cannot be lifted from the rails 0 and 0 by the tension on the cable. The front cable (Z is attached to one part of the Weighted carriage, while the rear cable 6 is attached to the other part. In Figures 1 and 2, f is a rigid coupling member by which connection may be made with the rolling stock so that this may either be pushed or pulled at will, while in Figure 3 the rigid coupling member is replaced by two cables 9 and 9 To allow for small difi'erences in length'when connecting the rigid coupling member to the 7 rolling stock h, either its lower axis of rotation is adjustably mounted, or its upper end is provided with a supplementary link i.

When the carriage is running light, the coupling members are carried horizontally therein.

I claim 1. The combination with a broad gauge railway track, a car thereon, and a narrow gauge track between the rails of the broad gauge track, of apparatus for moving rolling stock on the broad gauge track comprising a carriage composed of two relatively heavy wheeled members, spaced apart, on the narrow gauge track, means flexibly connecting said members together, means for hauling said carriage in either direction and coupling means between said car and carriage whereby the car may be moved, by the carriage, in either direction.

2. The combination with a broad gauge. railway track, a car thereon, and a narrow gauge track between the rails of the broad gauge track, of apparatus for moving rolling stock on the broad gauge track comprising a carriage composed of two relatively heavy wheeled members, spaced apart, on the narrow gauge track, means flexibly connecting said members together, means for haulin said carriage in either direction, and a rigi 5 coupling member connected to one of said wheeled members and extending over the other wheeled member to said ear.

FRITZ VOHMANN. 

